


Are you with me?

by flywithturtles (greenet)



Category: Prince of Stride: Alternative (Anime)
Genre: A couple of kisses, Holding Hands, Implied Relationships, M/M, Mostly Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-28 09:04:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6323329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenet/pseuds/flywithturtles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Heath held hands with somebody.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Are you with me?

**Author's Note:**

> Mush bingo prompt: Five times.
> 
> Title: Are you with me, Lost Frequencies

**1.**  
Heath and Kyousuke spent their entire first year holding hands because their Stride captain said that that was the way for them to truly connect and share their feelings. Heath thought it was weird at first — not unpleasant, exactly, just weird — but he got used to it. By the end of the second week, reaching out for Kyousuke’s hand had become a reflex whenever Kyousuke was close enough to touch. 

Kyousuke was pretty weird too. He was so serious and quiet, but so, so fast. Heath was a little jealous of that. He was secretly a little jealous of the way Kyousuke and Tomoe didn’t seem to need words to communicate too. They just stared at each other a lot. 

To be honest, he was glad he hadn’t been told to hold hands with Tomoe. Kyousuke at least seemed like he liked the humanity in general; Heath wasn’t so sure of Tomoe. Then again, Tomoe was a Stride runner instead of a track runner, so possibly he did have some fondness for humanity. Maybe. 

“The skies are clear today,” Kyousuke said. Heath had never met anybody who could talk about the weather with this much subtext before. 

“Okay?” Heath stopped stretching and straightened, giving him a baffled look. It was six in the morning and they were going to do a free run through the city like they did every Saturday morning. Tomoe had a standing invitation too, but he rarely joined them, preferring to run with his little brother instead. They’d started partly because of the hand-holding, and partly because the second years liked to yell at them or make fun when they made mistakes, and Heath just preferred to avoid that if possible. The third years were nice enough, but never said anything. 

“I mean…” Kyousuke trailed off. He held his hand out for Heath and Heath took it, twining their fingers together. “I like this,” he said plainly. “I’m glad I’m running with you.” 

“Oh.” Heath grinned and squeezed his hand. “Me too.” 

 

 **2.**  
They stopped holding hands in second year when their old captain had left. Heath still found himself reaching out sometimes, but mostly he managed to keep himself from doing it. Heath still loved Stride, but he was getting a little tired of being yelled at. It wore him down. 

It was the only excuse he had for Diane managing to talk him into doing yet another photo shoot. He had the poses down now — the smile, the head tilt, the “I’m cooler than you” attitude — but it was _boring_. He’d asked Tomoe on impulse and was surprised that he’d said yes. Heath would never have guessed that Tomoe could make anything other than winning Stride more fun, but somehow his silent presence on the set had made it easier for Heath to smile. 

Later in the dressing room, he’d kissed him mostly on impulse and Tomoe had frozen, then shoved him off with a hard push to the chest. 

“No,” Tomoe said, eyes wild. “Why would you even—no! Don’t do that again!” 

“I won’t, I won’t! Wow, calm down, it was just a kiss.” Heath laughed a little disbelievingly. But he stopped when he realized that Tomoe was really upset. “Hey, Tomoe. I’m sorry.” He held his hand out towards him, palm up. 

It felt like forever before Tomoe took his hand. 

Things were weird between them after that. They were still in synch when running, but Tomoe looked uncomfortable — which with Tomoe mainly meant that he didn’t meet Heath’s eyes — whenever he was alone with Heath, and when it was just Heath, Kyousuke and Tomoe. 

Heath didn’t know how to fix that, and before he could figure it out, Tomoe was gone. 

 

 **3.**  
Hozumi was adorable and loved Stride as much as Heath did. He was quick to anger, and slow to forgive, but he was loyal and kind, and Heath liked him. After the KGB incident — stupid name, stupid incident — he was also grateful that Hozumi was there. After what happened, after the injury, he leaned hard on Hozumi. 

He was glad Ayumu was there too, and not just because that meant the Stride club was still going. Mainly he was glad because Ayumu was someone _Hozumi_ could lean on. Hozumi was the main reason Heath started getting Ayumu to work out with them. Admittedly Hozumi was more enthusiastic about it, but that made sense. 

Heath didn’t begrudge them their relationship. He just. He missed Kyousuke and Tomoe sometimes. More whenever Hozumi and Ayumu were fooling around and laughing, even though that was something they had never done. He tried to picture Kyousuke hopping around on one leg, giggling madly, the way Ayumu was doing and had to smile. No way. Kyousuke was way too serious. He’d never. 

Though he could be funny when he wanted to. So maybe serious wasn’t really the word. Dignified, maybe. 

Sometimes he saw Kyousuke’s long hair disappear around a corner and had to stop himself from running after him. He couldn’t do that that. For some reason it seemed like reaching out to Kyousuke now would somehow invalidate the sacrifice Kyousuke had made for the Stride club in taking all the blame. Hozumi didn’t know, so Hozumi was angry. 

There was nothing really wrong with Heath’s ankle these days, but he was careful with it anyway. Hozumi came and sat next to him while he was stretching one day. He waited until Heath was done, then he grabbed his hand and linked their fingers together. Heath looked at him in surprise.

“I won’t leave you,” Hozumi said. “I promise.” 

Heath smiled and pulled Hozumi’s hand up to his cheek, patting him with their entwined hands. “You’re a good kid, Hozumi. I’m glad you’re here.” 

 

 **4.**  
Tomoe’s little brother, the kid with the leg fetish and the girl relationer. Well, that was the start of a new era for sure. 

Unfortunately that meant he had to deal with Diane again. He loved his sister, he really did, but if he never had to model any of her clothes again it would be too soon. He did enjoy Ayumu’s expression when seeing Hozumi in a dress though. 

He’d seen Hozumi hastily shoving sundresses in his bag before so he suspected that Hozumi didn’t mind the crossdressing quite as much as he made out. Though the ruffles might be enough to fell a stronger man. Heath did not judge. Mostly he was happy that he’d looked most definitely like a guy in a dress the three times Diane had pressed him into one, apparently in the belief that if she wanted it badly enough, miracles would happen. Well, not when it came to Heath and girly dresses. 

He looked amazing in a suit though, if he’d say so himself. 

Possibly Nana — who he really had to stop mentally calling Girl Relationer — would look good in a suit as well. He made a mental note to suggest it to Diane the next time they needed her help. 

At the moment though she was in a dress and holding his hand, looking little confused. His hand was enormous in comparison with hers. 

He grinned at her. “Just look at me and pretend we just pulled off an amazing relation, okay?” 

“Oh!” Her eyes brightened and she looked flushed and excited. Exactly what Heath knew Diane was looking for, and the flashes of the cameras proved him right.

“Fantastic!” Diane shouted at them. “You make an adorable couple! Oh no you don’t! Kohinata, come back here!” She ran off after Hozumi who was rapidly making his way towards the exit while still dressed like a birthday cake and with his hair in ringlets. 

Heath took that as a sign that their photoshoot was done and started swinging their hands back and forth idly. 

Nana giggled, happily going along with it. 

“Why does he look so _cute_?” Ayumu asked the world despairingly. 

Riku patted him kindly on the back. 

Takeru looked bored. 

 

 **5.**  
Kyousuke came back to him, like all he’d been waiting for was for Heath to ask. Heath felt a little ashamed that he’d needed the first years to tell him to do it, but mostly he was just happy that Kyousuke had responded the way Heath had hoped he would — by being his savior once more. By being his rival, by being the one who made Heath try his hardest.

“The winds are favorable today,” Kyousuke said. He tied his hair back, long hair gathered down his back again. Heath almost never saw him with his hair loose when they were running except when he was re-gathering it after it had flown loose from the ponytail. 

“…I still don’t know what that means,” he admitted. He was sitting on the stone fence bordering one of the parks they liked to run through. They’d started doing that again, just them. 

Kyousuke lowered his hands. Something in the way he was watching Heath made him want to blush and rub his neck awkwardly. “I mean…” Kyousuke paused as he visibly tried to translate himself. “Would you… hold my hand?” 

“Of course!” Heath said instantly. He held his hand out. “You don’t even have to ask.” 

Kyousuke walked closer to him, close enough that he could take Heath’s hand. They looked down at their hands, seeing the way they fit together. It seemed right. Heath looked up, smiling. Kyousuke still looked serious though. 

“What?” Heath asked, puzzled. 

Kyousuke tugged at their hands a little, but not in a ‘let go’ kind of way, more in a ‘come here’ kind of way, so Heath jumped down, landing lightly on his feet. It wasn’t a very tall fence. Then they were standing there with their hands laced between them. It was nice but Heath felt weirdly nervous. 

He tried smiling. “What?” he said again. 

Kyousuke lifted his free hand up to brush across Heath’s cheek. “Would you kiss me?” he asked. 

“Oh!” Heath’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t believe he’d been so stupid. How could he not have known this? “Yes!” he said, before Kyousuke could start to look awkward. “Yes, I would. I will, if you want me to.”

Kyousuke’s smile lit up his entire face. “I do,” he said as he leaned in, and then their lips touched, and then neither of them spoke for a while.


End file.
